Dustin Johnson is a great example of someone who has their wrist in flexion at the top of the swing.
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If you watch any PGA Tour pro’s golf swing, you’ll notice something they have in common is the consistent ability to shallow out the club coming into impact. This means that they are getting the club into a more horizontal position on the downswing, which allows them to make great contact.
This shallowing is easier said than done, however. Many amateurs get quite steep coming into the ball and have to make an emergency move at impact to square up the clubface, which can cause inconsistent contact. The feeling you want at the top of the backswing to get into a good position to shallow out the club is called flexion in the wrists. A good example of this flexion is Dustin Johnson or Jon Rahm.
A good drill for getting your wrist into flexion at the top of the swing comes in the form of this YouTube video from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Mark Durland. Check it out below.
This drill is simple and easy, and all you need for it is a frisbee. Take the frisbee in your lead hand (i.e. left hand for a right-handed player) and hold it like you are going to throw it. This curling of the wrist that you should make is the same move that you want to feel at the top of your swing when your wrist should be in flexion.
Get in your golf posture and take the frisbee to the top of your swing, keeping that flexion in the wrist. This is where you want to be at the top of the swing.
“If I were to throw a frisbee, I would let go of all of this by the time I got to where I wanted to release it,” Durland says. “The difference is in the golf swing, once I get this set in flexion, I want to keep it in flexion. So there’s my forward shaft lean, there’s that flat left wrist. All those things that we know we’re supposed to have at impact.”
If you commit to this drill and can get more flexion in your wrist, you’re sure to have a squarer clubface at impact.
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.
